Slovakia

Slovak police have arrested one or more suspects in the killing of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. The murder forced the resignations of then-Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Robert Kalinak as well as the head of the Slovak police. A lawyer representing the families of Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova said suspects were arrested early on Thursday, and Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini wrote on Facebook that the ongoing investigation was "a priority" for his government. Kuciak, who had written about political corruption in Slovakia, was found shot dead along with Kusnirova at their home outside Bratislava on February 21. Slovak authorities have said they believe it was a contract killing connected to Kuciak's work investigating possible widespread government corruption and ties between politicians and Italian gangsters.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has resigned after the murder of Jan Kuciak sparked a political scandal. President Andrej Kiska said he would ask Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to form a new government. Mr Fico had offered to resign on Wednesday if the ruling coalition was allowed to finish its term. The death of reporter Kuciak has shone a spotlight on corruption in Slovakia, prompting nationwide protests. The 27-year-old was working on a story linking high-level political corruption in Slovakia with the Italian mafia when he was killed in late February. His fiancée, Martina Kusnirova, was also murdered in an attack at their home.

Thousands marched in Bratislava and other Slovak cities on Friday to honor slain investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, who was murdered this week while finishing work on how the Italian mafia had infiltrated his homeland. Demonstrators demanded swift action to a killing that has shaken the country and its coalition government. Meanwhile, Kuciak's work was completed by GIJN members Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Czech Centre for Investigative Journalism, and Investigative Reporting Project of Italy, and republished by major media including Bild, Die Welt, Le Temps, Politico, and Business Insider. A special newsroom will open in Bratislava to continue the work, comprised of top journalists from the Ringier Axel Springer Media group, which owned Kuciak's outlet, the Aktuality.sk website. Said Aktuality.sk’s Editor Peter Bárdy, "We need to say to the perpetrators: You will never browbeat us.”

Ján Kuciak, a young Slovak investigative journalist, was murdered this week, alongside his fiancée. Before his death, Kuciak had been working with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and his outlet, Aktuality.sk, on an in-depth investigation about the Italian 'Ndrangheta, one of the world's most powerful and fearsome criminal groups, and their infiltration into his country. His reporting was carried out in collaboration with two OCCRP partners: the Czech Center for Investigative Journalism and the Investigative Reporting Project Italy. Here you can find Jan's final stories, published to honor his memory, set the record straight, and minimize the danger to his colleagues.

A journalist investigating alleged tax fraud involving businessmen connected to Slovakia’s ruling party has been found murdered alongside his girlfriend. Ján Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová, were discovered shot dead in the home they shared after worried relatives alerted police, saying it had been a week since they had heard from the couple. Slovakia’s most senior police officer, Tibor Gašpar, told reporters the murders “likely have something to do with [Kuciak’s] investigative activities.” The two bodies were found on Sunday evening in the town of Vel’ka Mača, east of the capital, Bratislava.